The rehabilitation of elderly paraplegic patients

Twenty-five elderly paraplegic patients admitted to a geriatric unit over a seven year period were studied, the sex ratio favouring females. There were 15 different causes for the paraplegia and only five patients had malignancy, which was lower than predicted. Six patients died, of whom three had malignancy; two of the deceased were tetraplegic. Fourteen patients were discharged home, including nine females. Dependency at death or discharge showed that 15 were wheelchair dependent and nine were catheterised. Pain relief was a problem in patients with malignancy and in the presence of paraesthesiae and spasms. Depression occurred in all patients for a variable length of time, a few needing antidepressant therapy. Discharging the patients required an intensive evaluation of patient abilities and available environment, and included the use of many community resources.